Today we’d like to introduce you to Joe Rife.
So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I came to MIT at 17, a Kansas farm boy with big dreams. It was the first time I traveled east of Kansas City and as I rode along Storrow Drive and saw the Great Dome of MIT across the Charles River, I thrilled with the challenge of a new and exciting world.
MIT became home and family. It seemed natural to begin research in the Sloan Automotive Laboratory, earn three degrees in Mechanical Engineering and lead the laboratory as Executive Director. Always an entrepreneur, I had a bartending/catering business, sold oriental rugs and co-founded American Brake and Wheel, a truck parts warehouse distributer.
I felt there was more and left MIT to start GENEVA Group in 1982. A contract from DARPA enabled us to do engine and propeller design analysis on a very interesting airplane. One thing led to another as I tried to establish an understanding of markets and develop products. We developed a breakthrough engine test system with a graphical touch screen interface in 1985. It was fantastic and we sold two units. The highs and lows were enormous!
Fascinated with computers and still surviving in the late 80’s, we started selling IBM PCs and helping our clients apply these wonderful machines to solve practical business problems. We connected desktops with Novell networks and our servers provided very needed shared storage and backup services. The challenge was to help our clients develop practices appropriate to this new shared environment.
Inspired by a PC Magazine article, I convinced Solomon Software to authorize GENEVA Group as a partner and began selling and supporting the “best small business accounting system for PC networks”. Installing financial systems and helping our clients develop transaction and record keeping best practices became the foundation for our business for the next two and a half decades.
We added Great Plains for a while but by 2000 focused on selling and supporting Navision for manufacturing and distribution and began describing ourselves as an Enterprise Resource Planning or ERP Partner. Microsoft identified middle market ERP as a hot area and purchased Great Plains/Solomon and Navision, and that is how we became part of the Microsoft ecosystem.
Messaging in partner channels identified vertical industry focus as important to growth and survival and we concentrated on pharma, medical devices and the fashion industry.
I have always been attracted by technology and we worked on several large and interesting implementations with exciting companies that were growing very fast on other people’s money. Only a few survived the market tests of the first decade of this century.
In 2012, I sold our operations to Admiral IT A/S, a large Danish systems integration house. I worked with my new Chairman/CEO to setup a US entity around a rollup model and began adding other local partners. Our vision required substantial investment and when our investor was unable to fulfill his promises, the company came apart. I successfully liquidated the US entity and all employees, vendors and taxes were paid in full.
That left me sitting across the table asking for an action plan from my wife of nearly 50 years. She firmly informed me the household was her domain and I needed to find something else to do. The solution came from my long-time practice of mentoring young startup companies. And the answer was: Greentown Labs, the largest hardware based, cleantech incubator in the US.
For sixteen months, I wandered around and helped team members of over 50 companies at Greentown think about technology, business, finance and people. I had the good fortune of helping many founders accelerate the growth of their emerging companies.
This spring I joined the Mechanical Engineering Department at MIT, attracted by the opportunity to build a network that connects our students and alumni. Our services are designed to provide career services and training in professional networking and presentation skills. As Director of the MechE Alliance Program, I work with some of the brightest and best young, technology focused people and we are out to change the world.
GENEVA Group is now a holding company we use to manage our consulting and investments.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Never smooth… I currently lead a monthly CEO dinner at Greentown Labs. There are two rules:
1. Never exaggerate or tell part of the story, we want everything; the good, bad and ugly.
2. Nothing leaves the room.
We always find something to talk about with the recurring fear always the same: we never want to run out of money!
I have personally spent months wandering in the “valley of shadow”. Most of my struggles grew out of making hard choices about people and money. I look back and recognize the compromises I made to survive nearly always had negative consequences.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about GENEVA Group – what should we know?
We started as a technology company and became a technical services company. Our brand was established on respecting our customers, solving hard problems and including people and process in our software and information system designs.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I’m fortunate to have many very wonderful mentors and cheerleaders.
1. My wife, Janet and I just celebrated 53 years and remain best friends.
2. My undergraduate and graduate advisor, A. R. Rogowski helped me understand MIT and develop engineering leadership skills.
3. George Springer was my favorite undergraduate professor and we connected several times through our careers.
4. Preston Cook, Ed Smith and Bob Barnes at Raytheon Company taught me the skills of project management and government contracting. Bob Barnes also helped me build GENEVA Group.
5. Gerry Bloom, in his executive roles at Chicago Pneumatic, was my strongest customer, mentor and friend.
6. Bob Ludovico will always be my model financial executive. I worked for him, he worked for me.
There are many others. I give back to startups as a mentor and coach because these people gave so much to me.
Contact Info:
- Address: 34 Cedar Rd.
Belmont, MA 02478 - Phone: 617 484 0800
- Email: jmr@genevagrp.com
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